Chunks of metal in Trans. pan

[travelair]

Hi everyone. It's been awhile but...

I know a few metal flakes are normal for most auto. transmissions. But what I found were chunks of what appears to be a one inch diameter flat washer which broke into three twisted and bent pieces. They all stuck to the magnet in the pan (thank God).

The car shifts fine through all four gears however, I don't think the torque converter is locking. I'm only getting 23mpg on the highway and you can feel a little bobble after closing the throttle and then opening it slowly again at highway speeds. I don't have a tachometer or I would know for sure.

It's a '95 with 82K miles and the fluid was clean of flakes and dirty but not burnt. I bought the car with 76K and I suspect the fluid is original.

How much trouble am I in here?

[Scrapper]

well i think i'm the one that told to use magnet to see how many shavings you hadin it? any way it's time for a new tranny..

scrapper1

[sad-lumina-owner]

If this is accidental, then shouldn't there also be evidence (pieces) of the bolt that held it on? Perhaps that is broken in two but still in place, one piece in a thread somewhere and the other (with the head on it) sitting in a bolt-hole. If that piece could fall out later (say going down a hill or something) maybe more havoc would ensue.

If the washer is 'alone', then maybe its not exactly an accident...what if it was dropped in during maintenance/reassembly or a filter change? In that case, it may not belong to the tranny but is a spare part...

If it was bouncing around and got mangled, then fell to the bottom, then perhaps the damage portion of the program is over. Your tranny may have escaped with a few chipped teeth somewhere, but otherwise fine (low mileage).

It would help to know what the actual damage was, when the washer was chewed. Seems like you are lucky.

If you have to eventually replace tranny anyway, you might as well drive it as long as you can if it is working now.

Then get another tranny from a wrecker cheap.

[travelair]

Follow up:

It isn't a washer. It's about two inches in diameter and is only 1/8" thick or so. There are three pieces but it looks like a fourth piece is unaccounted for (probably in the filter?). I don't think the fluid is original because there is evidence the filter has been changed (pry marks next to the filter). Here is a picture of the debris:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jksimpso...29659850620818

[sad-lumina-owner]

Originally Posted by travelair

Follow up:

It isn't a washer. It's about two inches in diameter and is only 1/8" thick or so. There are three pieces but it looks like a fourth piece is unaccounted for (probably in the filter?). I don't think the fluid is original because there is evidence the filter has been changed (pry marks next to the filter). Here is a picture of the debris:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jksimpso...29659850620818

picture's worth a thousand words. Looking at how thin this ring is, I can understand how it might have broken and then got thrown around and mangled.

I wonder if we can hunt it down using an exploded assembly diagram of a transmission?

I'll bet you could fix this, with some spare parts from a wrecker's transmission.

Since it ended in the oil pan, it might be originally located right handy.

It could be worthwhile to get an old tranny and take it apart in your garage, just to see how it ticks. You can't hurt something thats already dead, and you could maybe figure out how to put a new one of these rings back.

[maxwedge]

This more than likely a thrust washer/bearing and if so requires a complete disassembly.

[travelair]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

This more than likely a thrust washer/bearing and if so requires a complete disassembly.

If it is, do you feel it is within the scope of a DIYer? I have replaced the lower intake manifold gasket on two of these vehicles but that's about as far as I've torn one down.

[CoolasIce]

Originally Posted by travelair

If it is, do you feel it is within the scope of a DIYer? I have replaced the lower intake manifold gasket on two of these vehicles but that's about as far as I've torn one down.

No.

I agree. It looks like a thrust washer.

[maxwedge]

R and I and overhual requires some sophisticated equipment to get the unit out properly, then to overhaul it is equally as tough, you would need some specialized tools here or take the unit to a shop once out to save money. ATSG sells overhaul guides on line. Just checked the picture, definitely a thrust washer.